Global History & Geography South Asia & India Part 1 I. Geography a.

. Countries of South Asia include India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, The Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar b. India is a peninsula and subcontinent (a distinct region, has its own tectonic plate, unique culture/people, part of Asia) c. Geographic Features include the Thar Desert in Northwest India into Pakistan, Eastern/Western Ghats which line the eastern and western coasts of India respectively, the Deccan Plateau in south-central India (between The Ghats), The Sundarbans (tropical jungle in northeastern India), and of course the Himalaya Mountains of Northern India (also in Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and China), and with room for farming on the flat wetlands of north-central India and fertile riverbeds/river deltas. d. The Himalaya Mountains are the largest AND youngest mountain range in the world, growing at an approximate 1 inches per year e. India gets increasingly tropical north south f. Rivers Ganges (called Ganga by the Indians; famous for religious purposes), Godavari, Brahmaputra (Extends into Nepal), Indus (extends into Pakistan) g. Bordering Bodies of Water Arabian Sea on the West, Bay of Bengal on the East, Palk Strait (narrow; separating India and Sri Lanka), and all of these are part of the INDIAN OCEAN h. THE MONSOON is the KEY feature of Indian climate and geography. It occurs usually during summer months all throughout India resulting in wind and lots of rain. Monsoons can last for months, and the Indian agriculture depends on the rain brought by the monsoon but excessive flooding can pose as a severe threat to agriculture and overall safety of citizens.

India (with labeled Geographic Features/Bodies of Water)

Brahmaputra River Indus River

Ganges (Ganga) River

Arabian Sea Palk Strait

Godavari River

Bay of Bengal Indian Ocean

Indian Monsoon Indian Agriculture Pakistan and Bangladesh used to be a part of India but then separated in the 1940s.

II. Religion and Cultural Diversity of India a. more than 400 languages spoken throughout India (I think 15 are nationally recognized?) Lets see if I can name some off the top of my head Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, Sindhi, English (there ARE more) b. prominent religions that originated in India include Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism; prominent non-Indian religions that are prevalent in modern-day India include Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism c. List of most prominent religions in ORDER 1. Hinduism (~80%) weirdest religion in the world believes in one force (Brahman) but a billion different gods to make up that universal force/God; believes in reincarnation; Karma (good/bad deeds) determines what caste youll be in your next life; you move up the social ladder if you have good karma and vice versa; you cant change out of your caste in one lifetime; Ganges River is sacred; moksha is enlightenment once you end your life as a Brahmin (top caste) with good karma (after reincarnation); dharma are the duties of people that they must accomplish in order to have good karma. Three MAJOR gods Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver), Shiva (destroyer); Vedas and Upanishads are sacred texts of Hinduism; PLEASE feel free to ask me questions since this is a screwed up religion. * DO NOT CONFUSE BRAHMAN (universal force), BRAHMA (creator god), AND BRAHMIN (top social caste)* FOUR CASTES BRAHMIN (priests), KSHATRIYA (warrior/ruler), VAISHYA (skilled workers, merchants, artisans and such)? SHUDRA (farmers/unskilled workers), untouchables (outcasts)

Hinduism is called HENOTHEISTIC because theres one God and then a lot of gods that make up this one supreme God 2. Islam (~13%) Prophet Muhammad, Quran (Koran), Allah is God, monotheistic, 5 pillars -creed/declaration of belief -Hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca -pray 5 times a day in the direction of Mecca -giving alms (donations to poor) -fasting during Ramadan 3. Christianity (~2%) Jesus is the messiah, heaven/hell, New Testament, blahblahblah, monotheistic 4. Sikhism (~2%) combination of Hinduism and Islam 5. Buddhism (~1%) Eightfold Path, Four Noble Truths, Tripitaka, get rid of desires to reach nirvana (you know the drill) 6. Jainism (~.5%) this religion emphasizes no violence, stemming from Hinduism 7. Zoroastrianism (~.006%) very small in number, but India has the most Zoroastrians than any other country in the world 8. Judaism (~.0005%) Old Testament/Torah/Jesus isnt the messiah but is a prophet/blahblahblah, monotheistic III. Early River Civilizations a. Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa were two civilizations both on the Indus River Valley b. Earliest evidence of Hinduism started to prevail before and during this period c. Great Bath communal/shared bath used for sacred/religious purposes of bathing d. Citadel fortress/wall protecting town e. Brick and clay buildings for the most part f. There were lots of traders, who traded by boat or land IV. Arrival of the Aryans a. The Aryans were a group of people who came from the north and introduce CASTE SYSTEM into India b. Introduce the four Vedas and Upanishads (sacred texts of Hinduism); also introduce the language SANSKRIT (the Vedas/Upanishads are written in Sanskrit); HINDI and other modern languages did NOT exist back then but were introduced during the Mughal Empire c. Indians combine Aryan principles with existing ideals of Hinduism to create a new and improved Hinduism d. ALL A RESULT OF CULTURAL DIFFUSION V. Maurya Empire a. Chandragupta Maurya -extremely paranoid that someone was going to assassinate him

-really harsh rule -spying on citizens -spying on or potentially killing suspects of crime -military success/expansionism -gave up his throne and converted to Jainism b. Asoka -Chandraguptas grandson -Practiced Buddhism laws reflected Buddhism -upset with people dying under Chandraguptas rule -issued edicts 33 pillars (based on the Eightfold Path and other Buddhist beliefs) -wanted equality, peace, respect, social tolerance, etc -military expansionist/success -spread of Buddhism -his death resulted in instability of the empire and eventually its downfall VI. Gupta Empire (do NOT confuse with ChandraGUPTA 2 different entities) - Golden Age VII. Delhi Sultanate (definition: sultanate strength/authority) - Turkic Muslims invade Northern India - Religious Persecution to non-Muslims - often killed them, forced conversion - forced non-Muslims to pay high taxes - pretty much drove Buddhism out of India - did have other accomplishments though (military/economic success) - CULTURAL BLENDING (taking 2 cultures and mixing them to form something new) - Hinduism + Islam = Sikhism - Persian + Arabic + Hindi = Urdu VIII. Mughal Empire -Muslim Empire -leaders: Babur, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb -Babur: founder and descendant of Genghis Khan (remember him? The guy who had the biggest empire in the world? -Akbar accomplished a lot, was religiously/culturally tolerant of his people -Jahangir jealous of Akbar, not as tolerant -Shah Jahan important, built Taj Mahal for his wife, accomplished a lot (not as much as Akbar) -Aurangzeb his intolerance and quest for military power caused him to be overthrown and eventually the downfall of the Mughal Empire IX. Britain Steps In - During the 18th and 19th century (1700s-1800s), the Industrial Revolution was occurring, and Britain sought imperialism.

- Britain wanted resources/raw materials, new markets more land, more political power - Began to trade with India with ulterior motive to take over - Things seemed okay to India at first. - The East India Company (British trade company which was so big and therefore had its own military) pretty much enslaved Indians into the army (these Indians are called sepoys) - This was the rule under British East India Company (1763-1858) - India would give resources to Britain, and Britain would SELL them back to India - Hindus & Muslims made up the army - Divide and Conquer encouraged division among Indian groups, especially Muslims and Hindus - India forced to export raw materials to Britain (cotton, indigo, tea) - Mercantilism exists for the benefit of the mother country - Sepoys start rebelling (mutiny) (May 1857 - April 1859) - Direct Rule Under British Government (1858 1947) AND SO WERE CLEAR Heres the timeline of British rule -FIRST CAME THE EAST INDIA COMPANY seemed like equal trade to India at first but then turned into a clear rule of the East India Company over India -1763-1858 -SECOND came the sepoy rebellion (British were often cruel and did not respect Indians cultures) -1857-1859 -THIRD (as a result of the second) the British government took total control over India -1858-1947 Pretty clever Brits But the Indians gain nationalism, want to rebel and ultimately want independence now TO BE CONTINUED in INDIA: PART 2